Standing on Solid Rock
by Malc
I loved all kinds of sporting activities when I was at school, not to mention having fun with my pals. So, when one of our teachers proposed that he took some of us lads away for a few days to do some rock climbing in North Wales I jumped at the chance. Our teacher and keen rock climber got hold of a twelve-seater bus and we headed off to a farm just outside of the town of Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, North Wales.
None of us lads had much of a clue about rock climbing but we were guided in what kind of boots we needed to take with us and plenty of clothing as we would be getting wet for sure (we were going to Wales!) I remember it was quite a journey in an old beaten-up Ford Transit minibus but we had a lot of fun all together at the start of our adventure. I recall there were around eight of us with the rear seat full up with our sleeping bags, tents, and other gear. We had to use the tents just on the first night, as we would be arriving late at night, but then we would then be moving into one of the barns on the farm for the next few nights which our teacher had arranged for us, where we could lay our sleeping bags down on the straw laid down for us.
When we arrived at Farmer Williams’ farm our teacher drove the minibus close to where we would pitch our tents for the night, but it was dark by then.
“Hopefully, we are in about the right place,” he said. “Come on, lads. Get those tents up and let’s get some sleep.”
Well, it was not that easy pitching a tent in those days, what with all the poles, fly-sheets, Guy Ropes, and pegs. And we had to lay down separate groundsheets to try and keep ourselves dry on the very wet grass were on. And it was already pretty cold and because it was so dark (no street lights on a farm in the middle of nowhere), it was tricky pitching the tent on what felt like a bit of a slope. But we were all very tired from the journey, and once the tents were up and got our heads down, it didn’t take long to get off to sleep.
The sloping ground made a bit more sense come morning when as we awoke and crawled out of our cold, and slightly damp sleeping bags, we could see that we had pitched the tents right next to a rather large lake. So close to the lake, in fact, that had we moved some of those Guy Ropes further out by another couple of feet we would have been hammering in the pegs underwater.
Still, we had the relative comfort of the barn to look forward to for the next few nights. We dumped all of our gear in our allocated barn and explored Betws-y-Coed whilst we let our wet things dry out. It was actually a very comfortable barn, where we found nice clean and dry straw, spread out on top of a slightly raised wooden platform. A very cosy ‘base’ for the rest of our stay. Farmer Williams was a nice man, who came along to check we were all settled in, and the following day our rock-climbing adventure was underway.
I think I am right in saying that Tryfan is the second-highest mountain in Wales and it was there we headed to. After being shown the basics of how to safely clamber up rock faces we took our first trip up on one of the easier ‘scramble’ routes to the peak, passing those who were taking a more direct line, up somewhat steeper slopes. It felt a little surreal walking up slopes in view of people with ropes and hooks and climbing equipment and I thought to myself – “Why don’t you just walk up this nice little grassy path to the top?” But I do fully realise the amazing sense of achievement there is in challenging yourself to take the more difficult route to the summit, and a day later, we found ourselves on that steeper route to the top, and it was a lot of fun – albeit a challenge.
Life can be a little like that sometimes. We amble along the scenic route but miss out on the satisfaction of the victory to be found in challenging ourselves when we walk the harder path. By doing so we prepare ourselves for harder times to come – and those times will come – when we appreciate that life is not, and cannot be, a stroll through the park. Sometimes life is tough and the mountains we have to climb are difficult to overcome.
But when we have to negotiate those hard-to-climb mountains and steep rock faces, we need to ensure that we plant our feet on ground that will support us. Firm ground that will not cause us to slip or fall.
God is our Rock and when we trust Him, He will never let this world, no matter which path we find ourselves on, cause us to fall.
“For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.”
(Deuteronomy 32:2-4)
Do you have the assurance that your footsteps are sure through this life and that you are guided by the Rock, who will never let you fall?
You can have.